Redemption Protocol (Contact) (28 page)
Novosa frowned.
“You would have thought it would be covered in dust, same as everything else.”
Stone leaned forward.
“That crater looks like a near miss.”
Havoc scanned the hole.
“Looks like an orbital impact.”
“You mean a weapon?” Stone said.
“Definitely a possibility.”
The Colosseum reared up in front of them. Havoc planned to pass it on the right for a recce sweep. He noted the drifts of tinted crystals collecting around its base – snow – though thankfully not too much.
Weaver highlighted the position of the minaret on their mission net.
“The minaret's position is strange if there was another structure in the center of the plaza.”
Novosa nodded.
“I see what you mean.”
Touvenay spoke from orbit.
“All art is juxtaposition.”
They laughed. Weaver turned to Novosa.
“Are these readings correct?”
“Are those from the minaret?”
Stone looked over.
“That can't be right.”
Havoc glanced across.
“What––”
An alarm flashed. While they flew forward at three hundred kilometers per hour a nine hundred kilometers per hour cross wind crashed into them.
Novosa threw a hand forward.
“Otva!”
The wind carried them rapidly toward the Colosseum. If Havoc didn’t flare they would crash into it. Damn it. They would have to loop back round.
Havoc made a snap decision and handed control over to Weaver. Weaver increased thrust and took the shuttle straight again. They flew toward the Colosseum.
They were going to hit the Colosseum.
Stone covered his eyes.
“No!”
Weaver feathered the controls. Where Havoc would have blasted them clear, Weaver went with it. The great curving wall of the Colosseum hurtled toward them. Weaver guided the shuttle gently sideways. Havoc tensed as the towering wall raced at them.
They got an excellent look at the patterns of hieroglyphs carved on the tower as it passed by less than three meters from their left wing.
Havoc exhaled.
“Nice flying, Weaver.”
“Thanks.”
“Can I look now?” Stone said.
Novosa sat back, breathing easier.
“Where next?”
Havoc thought about Weaver’s briefing.
“How about the pyramid?”
The others considered it. He could sense their excitement. Weaver turned to him.
“Can we?”
He chuckled. Weaver obviously wasn’t used to breaking rules.
“Yes we can.”
Stone turned to Havoc.
“Let's go for it.”
Havoc raised an eyebrow.
“You should ask our pilot, not me.”
Weaver’s eyes widened. Her hands sprang off the controls as if they were scalding hot. Havoc gestured in front of him.
“Want me to take it?”
“Yes.”
Havoc accelerated away.
41.
Havoc flew what they had termed northward, toward what they called the top of Plash – arbitrary designations but useful nonetheless.
He stayed low so they could survey the surface, dropping various probes and sensors as they journeyed north. The atmosphere in the shuttle was flush with excitement. They passed over a series of parallel canyons on a breath taking scale.
“Natural or manufactured?” Novosa said.
Weaver shook her head.
“I keep changing my mind. It could be shaped by a modern civilization or it could be manufactured.”
Havoc frowned in surprise.
“You mean the planet?”
Stone shook his head.
“The scale is too big.”
Weaver nodded.
“I agree. We never thought that the entire planet had been manufactured, though the surface might be. What interests me most is the propulsion system implied by its orbital track.”
Novosa pointed to the horizon, where lightning flashed around the silhouette of one of the colossal hyperboloid towers that speared the sky.
“You can’t tell me those towers aren’t manufactured.”
Havoc watched the lightning flicker around the remarkable structure.
“Any idea what they’re for?”
“The way they’re arrayed in lines across the surface reminds me of power distribution,” Stone said.
“Or surface defenses,” Novosa said.
Weaver pursed her lips.
“They could be sensors or communication devices.”
Stone peered at the distant structure.
“Perhaps they provide a release mechanism for processes that take place deep under the surface.”
Weaver nodded.
“Or they’re a conduit for inputs to those processes.”
Havoc nodded slowly. A smile played over the corner of his mouth.
“You could just say you don’t know.”
Weaver made a face.
“Where’s the fun in that?”
Havoc chuckled as the land dropped away and they passed over the boundary of an ice sheet – though ice marsh might be more appropriate given the mixture of ice and liquid cloaked in heavy red mist. Cloud swirled over the semi-frozen landscape, whipped along chaotically by the wind.
“This is incredible,” Weaver said.
~ ~ ~
Two hours later they crossed the far coastline and passed over rolling dunes of copper desert. Conversation ceased on the shuttle as the top of the pyramid appeared on the horizon, menacing them like a raised enemy standard.
In time, the pyramid’s fifty meter high boundary wall was distinguishable as a thin line beneath it. The alien structure kept expanding; growing additional ramparts, platforms, slopes and walls until it dominated the skyline, implacable and immutable. The dark pyramid seemed allergic to light – it had an aphotic quality that was only amplified in the twilight of the shadow side.
Stone broke the silence as they closed the final kilometers.
“Is this one of the sides with a statue?”
“South side, yes it is. There is no statue on the east side,” Novosa said.
Weaver turned to Havoc.
“Are you going to fly over it?”
Havoc shook his head as he looped the shuttle left.
“Not exactly. I thought I’d fly parallel to the south wall. When we near the east side, we could send a drone over to cut the corner.”
Weaver looked hesitant.
Havoc shrugged.
“Unless you don't want to, in which case we can just stand off and look.”
She turned to him. He could see the excitement in her eyes.
“Let's do it.”
Havoc turned to the others.
“Ok?”
Novosa and Stone nodded as Stephanie's voice burst out of the radio.
“This is Shuttle Two. We’ve had an explosion!”
42.
Havoc could hear the unbridled terror in Stephanie's voice.
“Shuttle One confirms your message, Shuttle Two.”
Whittenhorn spoke from the
Intrepid
.
“We confirm your message, Shuttle Two. Let us handle this Havoc.”
“This is Shuttle Two. We've had an explosion and we've got gas venting outside. We've lost drive and one of our oxygen tanks. Our acceleration is down to a third of rated. Vehicle integrity seems intact. Please confirm receipt of this message.”
“Ok, Shuttle Two, we’re checking your telemetry. We'll come back to you,” Tyburn said.
Havoc began a sweeping turn to come round and fly along the south wall of the pyramid. He took the opportunity to pull up the telemetry data broadcast by Shuttle Two as Stephanie came back on.
“This is Shuttle Two, we've had an explosion. Please confirm receipt of this message. Can you hear us,
Intrepid
?”
Havoc frowned as Tyburn responded.
“Yes, we can hear you, Shuttle Two. We’re examining your telemetry now.”
Novosa gestured at the console.
“They’re not hearing us. They should switch to open communication and broadcast everything.”
“Will they be ok?” Stone said.
Havoc studied the data.
“Loss of one oxygen tank should be comfortably manageable, although they should turn back for the
Intrepid
and it’ll take them a lot longer to get back at one only third drive. They need to scan for more devices.”
“This is Shuttle Two. We've had an explosion. Can you hear us? We aren’t receiving anything so we're switching to open communication.”
Havoc nodded with satisfaction.
“Good,” Novosa said.
“I hope they're ok,” Weaver said.
Stephanie came back online.
“We're down to one tank. We're returning to the
Intrepid
. We cannot sense anything you are transmitting. We should be back within eight hours. Please assume we can't hear you unless we confirm otherwise.”
“Sabotage?” Stone said.
Havoc nodded as he reviewed the Shuttle Two telemetry.
“Yes, but not what they think.”
“What do you mean?”
Havoc highlighted the relevant data on their mission net.
“Look at their telemetry.”
The others inspected the data. Novosa highlighted some of the readings.
“It’s very strange. Their telemetry looks fine. Some odd thrust and steering patterns lead to a vibration and a full vent of the starboard tank. But nothing wrong. It appears their onboard readings are out.”
“They should notice that shouldn't they?” Stone said.
Weaver frowned.
“They didn't have an explosion?”
Havoc nodded.
“Exactly.
Intrepid
, please be aware that we are monitoring Shuttle Two telemetry and it appears they’ve had a system failure. The problem does not seem to be physical. Their systems may have been compromised.”
“Got it, Havoc, thanks,” Tyburn said.
“So they haven't lost a tank?” Stone said.
“No, but they think they have.”
Stone brightened.
“So it's not a real problem?”
“What's perceived as real is real in its effects,” Weaver said.
Havoc nodded.
“That's battle.”
He flew parallel to the huge south wall of the pyramid. The top of the wall was flat and had a continuous strip of ideograms inscribed along it.
“Drone ready?”
“Ready,” Novosa said.
Realization dawned on Stone’s face.
“Someone's hacked their shuttle?”
Havoc watched the end of the wall approaching.
“Probably. Alright, Novosa, launch it.”
One of their drones dropped and lit, maintaining formation just off their wing. As the shuttle neared the corner of the wall, Novosa sent the drone over.
The response from the gargantuan statue by the southern entrance was dramatic and immediate. It lunged forward onto one knee and raised an arm. At least it looked like an arm. An eight meter long clawed appendage, anyway.
“Whoa!” Stone cried.
“What the...”
Four apparently unguided kinetics fired toward the drone at hypersonic speeds. Alarms lit up across the console. Havoc's reaction went into overdrive and the kinetics slowed to a crawl despite moving blindingly fast. Havoc both cast and moved the controls simultaneously as he dived the shuttle below the wall.
“Shit!” Novosa said.
Stone crouched down against the console.
“Did that thing shoot at us?!”
Havoc monitored the environment.
“Everyone ok?”
“Sure.”
Havoc nosed the shuttle higher.
“There it is,” Novosa said.
The alien statue had resumed its original position.
Stone wiped his forehead.
“That was close.”
Havoc played the encounter back in his mind’s eye.
“Quite close.”
He banked the shuttle in a looping turn. Weaver’s eyes narrowed.
“We're not doing that again, are we?”
Havoc shook his head.